Lovers and Liars
by Ylime-Etak
Summary: What if Edward doesnt come back until its too late? What if Bella chose Jacob? But what will happen when Jacob finds out that he and Bella arent meant to be together? What will happen then?
1. Preface: In the hut

**Disclaimer**: Kudos to Stephanie Meyer for writing such an excellent series.

So I've been lurking fan fiction for a looooong time and I've never found one that actually has what I imagined happening, so I've been thinking, and I've decided I might take a stab at writing one myself.

So here's a brief glimpse of what's to come, this isn't the first chapter, but if anyone likes it, I'll continue.

**PREVIEW:**

**BPOV**

I sat alone in the tiny hut, staring at the clock. Thinking. Reminiscing. Fretting.

A million questions flooded my mind, were was Jacob, were was Edward, why am I sitting here alone in this damn hut? Why am I left here alone and scared? Did I make the right choice?

I jump as the door opens, and, in my haste to see who is entering, knock over the chair I was sitting on. It thuds to the ground, stirring up piles of dust.

Jacob black looks at me.

Looks into me.

His eyes full of sorrow, his beautiful russet skin pale.

"Bella, I have to tell you something. Please don't hate me"

My eyes are full of tears before he even says it.


	2. I will try to fix you

"Jacob Black, do you ever stop to chew? Or do you just swallow things whole?", I teased, watching him flush red.

"I chew occasionally", Jacob admitted, burping and rubbing his stomach.

We were sitting in Charlie's tiny kitchen. A weak, rare ray of sunshine had broken through the clouds and was lighting up the kitchen, illuminating the bright yellow cupboards and dark, paneled walls.

"Did you have a good day?", he asked, inching closer to me.

He had taken me out on a hike, taking advantage of the warm weather by proposing a picnic. We had sat in the glorious sun, drinking in the fresh air and eating the ham sandwiches (crusts cut off) that Emily had made us earlier in the day.

"Bells? What's wrong?"

He'd seen the shadow of tears cross across my face. The tears that threatened to come to the surface whenever I thought about.. . .him.

_The hole in my chest stung around the edges._

Jacob wrapped huge, warm arms around me, holding the hole together, keeping me whole.

"Thank you", I murmured, feeling safe and warm in his embrace.

"Any time", he said huskily. Oh no, I thought. I know that look. The lovesick, adoring look. I loved Jake, really. But could we ever be more than friends? Would I ever get over. . the other one?

Jacob cleared his throat and let go of me.

"Look, Bella…"

Oh god.

"I know… that you were hurt. I know that you still are hurt, but please, let me at least try to fix you?" He said in a rush, looking earnestly into my eyes.

I put my elbows on the old oak table and put my face in my hands.

"I'm, uh…going to go", he said, gesturing towards the door with his hands.

"I'll call you", I smiled. He smiled back, and left.

Once he was gone, I was crippled with loneliness. The dull 'tick, tock' of the clock over the mantle, the rustling of the trees around the house. A storm was coming, I could tell. I dragged myself to the minuscule lounge room, and flopped down on the couch. Something dug into my side: a book? The long lost remote?

The sharp corner of a photo album.

The photo album that I'd been mulling over the previous nights, thinking that if I held something that once had photos of him, I'd feel better.

I glared at the ivory, embossed cover, seized by a sudden fit of rage. I threw the book clear across the room, almost breaking a horrible vase and a photo frame of me on Santa's lap, age six. It fell open on a bunch of crazy, hasty shots of Mike, Angela, and some of my other friends. Or at least, the people who used to be my friends.

The people who were my friends before.._Edward _left and I went into my zombie phase.

'Who the hell did he think he was?' I thought, 'he said he'd never leave, he said he loved me, he said he cared..' _the hole in my chest ripped apart further…_ 'I had a life before him, I cared, I felt, I loved him…'

Huge sobs wracked my chest, heart wrenching cries ripping apart my wound. I curled up on the couch, crying into the old threadbare pillows.


	3. In the pouring rain

Charlie came home late to find his dinner in the microwave, and me sitting alone in the rocking chair in my room.

"Bells, honey? Are you alright?"

"Sure dad, I'm great. Dinners in the microwave"

"Thanks kiddo"

He ruffled my hair, cast a final worried glance at me, then went downstairs.

I looked out the window into the pouring rain. Lightening was striking off in the distance, its electric forks racking like luminous whips, lighting up the sky for seconds before it returned to darkness. The thunder was loud, roaring, but I barely noticed. I felt numb, exhausted.

I absent-mindedly fiddled with a five-cent piece I had found amongst the lint in my pockets, lost in thought.

_Did Jake get home okay?_

_Why did I care so much?_

_We're just friends_

_But he loves me…_

I sighed, staring out at the raging storm.

_What if I loved him back?_

_What if we were together..as a couple_

_Edward was never going to come back_

_Jake made me feel alive again_

**I love him too.**

I leapt from my chair, as if it was what I'd been planning all along. I ran down the stairs, almost tripping and falling. What a klutz. No time for the emergency room now Bella, there's something you have to do.

"Bella? What are you doing?"

I was already dialing.

"Bella??"

"I'm calling Jacob!"

Charlie shrank back onto the couch, looking momentarily startled before turning his attention back to the game on the TV and the heated up meal on his lap.

_Pick up, pick up, pick up!_

"Hello?"

"Jacob?"

"Bella?" more than a hint of disbelief adorned his voice.

"Can I come round?"

"Why? Is something wrong?"

"No, no, I was just uhh..Yeah"

"Okay..See you soon"

"Bye"

"Isn't it a bit late to be going to jakes? The roads are wet too…" Charlie trailed off when he saw my face.

"Or maybe you could just go and uhh..Stay over or something?"

"Sure!", I said, jamming my arms into my raincoat and pulling on boots over my jeans.

I barreled down the road to La Push as fast as my ancient truck would go, pulling up to the old hut with the faded red paint.

Jacob appeared at one of the narrow windows, fiddling with an umbrella and motioning for me to wait for him. I paid no attention to his fumbling, and stepped straight out into the pouring rain.

I was drenched within seconds. Jacob ran out to me, smiling his wolfish grin.

"Bella, you're getting saturated!" he scolded.

I looked into his dark, intelligent eyes.

**So I left it on a cliffhanger. im not even sure ill continue, i like the story but noone else seems to. if you want more of it, if you like it, if you have any thoughts on how it could improve, please just R&R!**


	4. You are my life now

"Bella?"

My lips met his, and the whole world seemed to stop.

_His lips were soft and his hands were warm on my face, my waist, running through my hair.._

The rain fell in a soft drizzle around us; the storm was over.

We broke apart, and I saw something so soft, so happy in his face that I couldn't help but break into laughter.

He smiled his huge, wolfish grin, and laughed too.

"Bella"

"Jacob"

He laughed again; I'd never seen him so happy before.

He took my tiny hands in his large ones, and looked into my eyes.

"I will never let anyone hurt you", he said, suddenly somber, pulling me close.

When he let go of me, my face was wet, but not from the dwindling rain.

"Bella? Why are you crying?"

He crushed me to his chest again, mumbling into my hair:

"Surely I'm not that bad a kisser?"

I half laughed, half sobbed into his chest

"I'm so, so sorry Jake! So sorry for anytime that I was terrible or a tease or catatonic or stupid or-"

"Bella!"

I sniffed, wiping my face on his saturated t-shirt. It didn't make much difference.

"Lets go inside, at least?"

I sniffed again and nodded, wiping the stupid tears of my face.

We sat down on the couch, and he took my hand in his again

"Bella..you have to understand", he said. I almost detected pain in his voice.

"You have no idea how much I love you, how much I care..i would never let anyone do you harm, and if they did, I'd hunt them down. I know that this might hurt to say but..Edward Cullen isn't coming back"

I reeled back slightly at his words, expecting pain to shoot through my heart like a dagger.

But it stayed whole

I was whole again, because of Jacob.

I furrowed my brows, staring at a stain on the cushions.

Edward left me with no one, and Jacob fixed me.

Edward doesn't want me, therefore I shouldn't want him.

I should want Jacob, and..

I do.

"Bella?" his deep voice shook me out of my reverie.

I smiled at him, replying simply,

"You are my life now"

I rememberd Edward saying that to me, so many months ago.

But Jacob did'nt know that.

He just smiled, and kissed me.

* * *

A week later, I sat in the old garage with Jacob. I felt so at ease, so comfortable with him. if I fell over or hit my head, I didn't have to apologize for bleeding. I wasn't ashamed of being human.

He was shirtless, his wolf-side keeping his warm while I was huddled in jeans and a huge padded jacket. He was working on some kind of bike; a birthday present, for Leah, he told me.

"Who's Leah?"

"Harry and sue Clearwater's daughter. Its her birthday in a few weeks"

I stared, transfixed at his hands as they expertly twisted bits of metal and fitted parts.

It was so peaceful here.

"Jake?"

More twisting of metal.

"Yeah?"

"Want to go on an adventure tomorrow?"

"To where? You suck at hiking Bells"

I frowned.

" There's this meadow that I used to go to. I was wondering if you could help me find it"

"I think I have an old compass and a map somewhere, I'm sure I could help you find it"

I smiled, and he went back to assembling the bike as I stared out into the rain.

How would I cope with being in Edwards meadow

No! I told myself, it was anyone's meadow. I'm not going for Edward, I'm going for the meadow..


	5. Meadow couple

**Just a short entry, because I havent updated in ages due to lack of interest. PLEASe rate and review!**

* * *

"Bells? Are you okay"  
I'd just fallen over for what seemed to be the eighty-thousandth time.  
"yeah, sure", i said, embaressed, as i picked myself up from the ground and inspected the scrapes on my palms.  
I was taking klutz to new levels today.  
"Are you sure you know where this meadow is? The map doesnt say anything about it..", said jacob.  
He was looking at the map, his eyebrows furrowed and a bemused expression on his face.  
A beam of sunlight burst through a gap in the trees, and i waited for the diamonds that would flash off his skin.  
but I was robbed of my excitement. This was Jacob, not Edward. His skin didnt sparkle.  
I looked away before he caught the look on my face.

_What was I thinking?? What was I doing? This is Jacob, this is MY Jacob.Stop thinking about Edward_.

I walked into a tree branch.  
"For god sake Bella", grumbled Jacob, before scooping me up.  
I remembered how safe i felt in his big,warm arms. He made me feel so safe.  
I smiled. My Jacob.

* * *

This is it. This is the meadow.  
I knew it from the second we crashed out of the forest.  
Still perfectly round, its fragrant flowers creating an aura of beauty that shrouded the meadow like a fragile lace curtain.  
It was amazing, peaceful. "Bella"  
Jacob was ten feet away, looking in awe at his surroundings.  
"come over here"  
I walked over obediently, brushing my fingers over the tips of the flowers that rustled against my denim clad legs.  
"Bella"  
"Jacob"  
"Bella..you've been..weird, lately. Ever since, well..y'know"  
He grimaced sheepishly, staring at face sadly.  
It killed me to see him like that.  
"Jacob", I smiled.  
"Bella"  
"My Jacob"  
He smiled, his grin lighting up his entire face. I smiled back, and for the first time, Edwards face wasnt shining in the back of my mind.

* * *

Jacob drove me home in the truck, one warm hand covering mine and one guiding the steering wheel. I watched the sunset, swirling clouds of dusky pinky and pastel yellow illuminating the trees, and for a second, everything seemed to shimmer. I had my Jacob, and we were driving along the glinting tarmac off into the sunset. Isn't this a scene from a movie somewere? Isnt this perfect? Why do I feel as though something awful is about to happen?


	6. A crack in the floor

I slammed my door shut, kissed Jacob goodbye, and let myself into the house. Both charlie and the oily smell of the fish he would inevitably bring home were absent.

I trudged up the stairs to my room, a little black cloud of my own hovering over my head.

Another storm was brewing, the last seconds of sunlight had been abolished by angry purple stormclouds. Thewind was whipping up the clothes on the line outside into a frenzy; Charlie's work pants danced, and my favorite blue blouse waved and whipped against the fence.

I fiddled with the stray coin on my table, listening to the steady sound of the ticking clock on my old pine dresser.

CRACK

I jumped as a fork of lightening hit nearby, and the coin leapt out of my numb fingers and rolled away into a crack in the floor.

But instead of hearing a soft 'whump' as it hit what I thought was dust between stories, a plastic-y click caught my ears.

Curious, I got down on all fours and peered through the hole in the floorboards.

Something hard was under there, a stack of something.

With some kind of concentrated, frenzied interest, I gazed wildly around my room for something to prize the board up with, but found nothing.

I ran downstairs, narrowly avoiding tripping on the last step and inevitably breaking my nose.

"Bella?", Charlie asked, as I rooted around in the garage for a crowbar.

"A crowbar??"

A look of frantic alarm was etched on his face.

"My, uhh..window is stuck", I said sheepishly, rushing back upstairs before he could say another word.

My window was open, and the howling wind from outside was playing havoc in my room.

I dropped to my knees and pried up the floorboard, throwing the piece of wood aside once I had finished.

Underneath the floor, nestled in a black plastic garbage bag, were two pieces of folded paper, and **his** cd. Of **his** music. _With my lullaby_.

Lightening cracked again, and rain sprayed against my chair next to the window.

Funny, I was sure it hadn't been open..

I clambered to my feet and saw muddy footprints on the floor..

And then, a voice from the darkness, soft and musical..

"Bella?"


	7. A figure from the dark

Authors note: So yeah, this chapter is kind of dodgy. I always thought Bella let Edward off to easy so.. This chapter might be very bella-or-edward like.

* * *

I turned slowly on the spot, truly afraid to believe it..

_Surely my ears were fooling me.._

_Surely he wouldn't have the nerve to show up here again.._

_And yet...here he was._

"Bella?", He repeated.

I couldn't move.

I was shocked.

So many emotions rushed over me, a vicious cocktail of fear, sorrow, joy and anger swirling unsettlingly in my gut.

My skin seemed to tingle with rage but my heart was swelling with joy;

A wreath of flowers perfumed my head but a dangerous thorn stabbed my side.

I could feel my face turning red, and he smiled.

_That smile..My Edward's smile.._

He looked exactly the same: his beautiful, liquid bronze eyes focused on my dull brown ones. His pale skin hard and flawless, glowing for a millisecond every time lightening flooded my room with sharp, fluorescent light. His hair was darkened by the rain, hanging wetly over his forehead.

"Please say something?", He pleaded, that soft smirk in his eyes giving way to an intent look of concern and apprehension.

I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out. I clenched my fists to beat him, but the movement would not come. Tears welled in my eyes, but froze on my cheeks.

He walked towards me carefully, my eyes following him as he closed the short distance between us.

_His icy hand touched my cheek.._

And a fire sprung up in the empty hole in my chest, roaring in my ears, the flames licking my limbs and rushing along my bloodstream, turning cells into dust and replacing them with only hurt and anger.

"YOU!", I screamed.

He leapt back in shock.

"How DARE you come back here? What the heel is your problem!!", I shrieked at him. The fire in my chest shrieked its approval.

"Bella.. I've been thinking", he said, all traces of his calm and smooth demeanor gone.

"YOU'VE been thinking?! FTAER YOU LEFT ME HERE ALONE? THAT'S YOUR EXPLANATION? **THINKING**!?"

I wanted to explode, I wanted to leap into werewolf form, I wanted vampire fangs, I wanted something,

ANYTHING,

Anything to hurt him as much as he had hurt me.

"Bella, please just listen? Please just let me explain!", he pleaded, a note of desperation in his voice that I had never heard before.

I crossed my arms, and waited for him to tell me his story.


	8. What can you say?

Authors note: PLEEASE REVIEW! D Just a preview of the chapter to come, were Edward explains everything to Bella. Let me know if theres anything you want to see happen, if you like what i have so far, or if you have any other advice.

Oh, btw: On a note from one of my awesome reviewers, i edited the end&start of chapters 5 and 6 soit all flows better, so if you want to go check that out feel free )

**EDWARD'S POV**

_I am curled up in the darkness_

_I am nothing_

_I am a monster_

_I only wanted to do what was right._

Standing alone a darkened corner of her bedroom, I instantly knew that I never should have left. An agonizing pain gripped me, a fever of flu-like symptoms clouding my head although I had not been ill for over a hundred years.

A hundred long, empty years, waiting for _her._

And I had thrown it all away, because I wanted what was right for her.

I wanted her to be safe, for her to be around normal people instead of beasts from fairy tales.

I felt such pain..

And then waves of rage would wash over me, a voice in my head screaming

"You think that YOURE in pain? What about her? Look what you've done to her! You monster!"

A I took a step forward and whispered shard of ice seemed to pierce my long-still heart as her name,

"Bella"

The word did not want to come to my lips, my teeth forming a barrier, my tongue refusing to move.. But I managed to spit it out, and it set my throat on fire on its way up.

I watched her turn, slowly.

Another dagger ripped apart my chest.

She looked _so tired_. So wan. Her arms were wrapped tightly around her chest, as though she was trying to keep herself from falling apart. A new pain lurked behind her deep brown eyes, a new edge made her seem afraid and miserable. I wanted to gather her up in my arms, to kiss her, to _smell_ her, her beautiful floral scent..

But just as the tragic Romeo and his beautiful Juliet, I had ruined my own happiness.

Sharp pains stabbed my dead lungs and wrenched at my icy fingertips as she started to yell as id never seen yell before.

I wanted to double over in pain, to throw myself at her feet and beg; I longed to hold her in my arms..

"Bella, please just listen? Please just let me explain!", I pleaded, more than a hint of desperation welling in my eyes.

She seemed to deliberate, her pale, soft arms crossed.

She nodded, and I cleared my throat.

When you leave someone, lie to them, tell them that you don't want them anymore.

What can you say?

What could you possibly say to them?


	9. Beautiful things never last

I looked down at my shoes.

I gazed at the clock at the wall.

I fiddled with a stray thread on my sweater.

Anything to avoid looking at her grief-stricken face.

Her expectant, tortured face. Her crossed arms, her quivering lips, her pain-filled eyes.

I didn't picture it like this.

I cleared my throat; it felt as though I hadn't spoken in years, like my throat was coated in dust and cobwebs from lack of use.

"Words can not express how deeply sorry I am", I began. A spark of hope lit up her face.

"For a long time, I walked through life alone. I traveled, I saw the wonders of the world, dabbled in every culture possible. Yet I was unfulfilled. Those around me, my family, each had someone who loved them, someone who cared. Their everything. After three dreary years at Forks, you arrived, and suddenly, I had a reason to be here.

Rain clouds had give way to the most magnificent sunrise of my life, and I knew that I had to be with you. And then, that….that incident.. on your birthday", I paused to pinch the bridge of my nose with my fingers.

"To see you hurt, to see you bleeding and know that despite all my strength and so-called power I couldn't do anything to save you, to know that I had put you in that situation, to know that I was the one that had injured you!"

An agonized growl formed in my chest and I had a sudden urge to rip out my hair, as the daggers in my chest twisted cruelly.

"Bella, I love you so much, **so **much that I would do anything to see you safe and happy, I would willingly die and suffer for eternity in the fiery its of hell just to keep you alive!

I left, because I love you! I left because I wasn't right for you! I left because…. _I hurt you_. And I couldn't cope with that".

All the energy seemed to rush out of me, every ounce of bravado deserted me and left me a bitter, broken shell.

I looked up at her, and she stared at me with an expression of mingled horror and pain.

'_You idiot! Look what you're doing now!'_, the voice in my head scolded.

I licked my lips, and opened my mouth again.

"At the end of the day Bella, when the serene moon has struck the passionate sun out of the sky, I want to be with you. I want to be with you every minute, every second, of every day. I will never stop wanting you, I will never stop loving you. _I need you_"

I stepped forward again, and carefully pressed my icy hand to her blazing cheek.

Her tortured eyes locked with mine.

"Edward", she whispered in a soft, meek voice. Her warm little hand covered mine, and slowly, carefully, she put her head on my chest.

_My head was ablaze_

She was here, she was in my arms! I held her, never wanting to let go, my hands in her hair and her arms wrapped around my ribcage, as if _she_ was the one that needed _me_.

Hot tears spilt from her eyes and soaked the front of my sweater. I breathed in the beautiful scent from her hair as it tickled my cheek, as I hummed the tune that she loved so much into her delicate ear….

_And then a long screech of nails against glass broke us apart._


	10. Black velvet curtain

Authors note: My longest chapter to date, about 800 words. enjoy, and please review )

* * *

I grew aware that I'd been staring at Edward with my mouth gaping open while he spoke, and closed it quickly.

He spoke with such raw emotion in his beautiful voice, his whole frame shaking with pain.

I could see in his eyes that he meant every word that fell from his lips.

A thousand voices were accumulating in my head, arguments blaring from every side:

_Take him back! He loves you! You love him! Do it!_

_**He lied to you! He left you! You have Jacob now!**_

_You don't love Jacob!_

_**I DO!**_

_You love them both.._

**But Edward is your soul mate.**

He had finished speaking, and his entire body seemed to slump from exhaustion, as if the words had taken away a part of him. His hands shook, his eyes pleaded, his entire body seemed to crumble with sheer misery.

My heart swelled in my chest as I whispered,

"Edward"

He stepped towards me, a joyous spring in his light step; his cool hand stroked my cheek, and I wanted to explode with happiness, to throw my arms around his neck and press my face to his icy throat, to feel his satiny lips on mine…

**CRASH**

My window-frame shook violently as a heavy object slammed against it, and I leapt away from Edward in shock.

A face leered at me from behind the glass, its scowl evident through the sleet and fog:

Jacob black was outside my window.

Edward snarled, moving as if to protect me, shielding me with his arms.

"No! he's okay!", I said, struggling behind his iron guard.

"He's a filthy stinking wolf, that's what he is!", he shouted.

"Bella?", came Jacobs deep voice, full of confusion and a hint of dread,

"what are you doing?"

I opened my mouth to speak.

"what are YOU doing??", interrupted Edward rudely, continuing to make protective motions towards me.

A part of me was puzzled. Id never heard Edward be rude before in all the time that I had known him.

"Me?", Jacob asked in mock surprise.

I sensed a storm that had nothing to do with the weather outside.

"Me?", he repeated, "Oh, I'm just her boyfriend"

"Boyfriend??", demanded Edward, glaring franticly from me to Jacob and back again.

"Yeah, boyfriend. Also known as Significant other? Male companion? Sugar daddy?", quipped Jacob sarcastically, and I fought the urge to laugh at the sense of humor that I loved about him.

A new wave of pain washed over Edwards face, and I felt a stab of guilt.

"You didn't think she'd wait around forever did you? After what you did to her? After you told her _you didn't want her anymore_?", spat Jacob menacingly, his voice soft and deadly. His eyes were glittering darkly, his mouth (which so often grinned goofily) was turned down at the corners and his lips were curled back over his gleaming teeth.

Occasional shudders ripped through his tall lean body, as his incredibly height seemed to fill my tiny room.

Edward, my past, my vampire, stood glowingly pale and perfect behind me, while Jacob, my present, my werewolf, stood before me.

The room was full of rage: the very air itself seemed to teem with something sinister, as the tension smothered us in a thick choking cloud. The sensation was not unlike a heavy blanket on a warm day.

"You don't deserve her", said Jacob quietly, his eyes were full of a burning pity.

Edward cleared his throat, and I turned around to face him. He stared over my shoulder at Jacob.

"Its not about if I deserve her, nor about if I should have her. It is about me being irrevocably in love with her, you fool.(A sigh of frustration rumbled in his chest) If she loves me, she will choose me regardless of whether or not she thinks I deserve her or not. If she no longer loves me, due to my many faults and mistakes, she will choose you (his voice trembled with rage at the word), although you, not I, are the one that does not deserve her", he said slowly. His voice was cold and sharp, as icy as his skin, but nowhere near as welcoming.

Jacob struggled to compose himself, hissing,

"I was the one that put her back together after you ripped her to shreds! My friends were the ones that found her! I was here after you left!"

I heard Edward wince. No doubt he could see me, broken on the forest floor in Jacobs mind.

I shuddered at the memory.

"instead of frightening her with your oafish accusations, dog, why not ask her? Don't you care about what SHE might actually want?", said Edward smoothly, directing his gaze at me.

"Bella?", he said softly.

"Bells?", whispered Jake.

"I..I."

Words failed to come to my tongue as a curtain of black velvet swung over my eyes.


	11. Soft,Sweet, and Stark

I awoke with a jolt.

As I picked myself up from the floor, I stared around wildly at my room. . .

Neither of them were there.

Shaking my head and rubbing my bleary eyes, I walked downstairs slowly.

Everything was soft and dreamy: objects were blurred as if someone had wafted a square of sheer fabric over my eyes. Out of the gloomy mist, I heard a piano melody, soft, sweet and stark against the deathly quiet night.

I stepped out into the backyard and my vision suddenly cleared, like that scene in 'the wizard of Oz' where Dorothy steps out of her dinky little cottage and everything turns from black and white to color.

I reeled back in disbelief as I saw what was waiting for me against the line of trees that lead to the forest.

Right near the path that Edward had led me down so many months ago on that terrible night, sat a glorious, pearl-colored Grande piano. Edward himself sat at the low stool before it, his long, pale fingers flying across the ivory. His head was bowed as if in mourning. For the first time I noticed he was dressed head to toe in black, and he seemed to be in pain as he rocked back and forth slowly. I stood, frozen to the spot, as he suddenly looked up. his expression was wild and contorted in pain as two figures came waltzing out of the woods.

The first, I recognized as Jacob.

The second was a tall, slim girl. She had the same tanned, russet skin as the Quileutes had, and her long black hair swung down to her lower back.

His arm was around her.

She stopped and looked into his eyes.

He held her close to him.

She embraced him back.

Their lips met.

In a flash, Edward was at my side. His cool arms held me tightly, as he trailed his mouth softly across my neck.

"Bella", he whispered.

"My foolish Bella"

"Edward stop!", I choked out, trying to tear my eyes away from Jacob and the unknown girl embracing in the moonlight.

"is this your Jacob now, Bella? Is this your protector? Is this the boy who would never hurt you?", he murmured.

He spun me around to face him.

He wiped away the single tear sliding down my cheek and said,

"I will never leave you, ever, ever, again. You're all mine now"

It was at that moment i woke up to find both Edward and Jacob's eyes staring at me worriedly.


	12. Spit it out

Their worried faces swam before me as I clambered up from the floor.

"Are you okay?", said Jacob hurriedly,

"When did you eat last?", demanded Edward.

"I haven't really been eating… I always forget"

"You can't even remind her to eat? How irresponsible ARE you?", hissed Edward at Jacob.

"At least I'm not the one that wants to eat HER", spat Jacob rudely, before turning away to sulk beside the open window.

Edward shook his head in disgust and placed a cold palm on my forehead.

"Stress, I think", he murmured, his liquid amber eyes boring into mine.

I looked away from the scrutiny of his gaze, staring instead at the open floorboards with the gifts still underneath.

He followed my line of vision to the hole, and scooped up the presents, handing them to me.

I couldn't help but smile when I saw the cd in its clear jewel case.

Lights from outside caught my eye, and I looked out the window to see Charlie's cruiser pulling up the driveway.

"Get out! Both of you!", I yelled.

Jacob growled and clambered out of the window and down the tree outside.

Edward stood calmly.

I shoved him in the direction of the window. He took one last, fleeting look at my face, pressed his lips gently to mine before I could protest, and leapt out the window.

I sat down on my bed with my head in my hands.

What was I going to do?

* * *

It was a rare sunny day. It was as though the storm had washed everything clean, and the trees and grass shone in the midday sunlight.

Jacob was lying in the sand on our beach, gazing up moodily at the swirling, pure white clouds overhead. I sat down beside him, sifting my hands through the sand and shining pebbles that lined the waters edge.

"Say something!", I said desperately, after fifteen minutes of silence and sand sifting.

"What am I meant to say Bella?"

He sat up, running a hand through his inky black hair.

"I can give you anything, I can look after you, and you throw it all away the second that _leech_ comes back", he sneered.

"Who said I was throwing it all away huh?", I demanded, leaping to me feet.

"I..but..ugh…nnggh!, he grumbled, clenching his fists.

"Jesus Jake, spit it out!"

"He can't have you! You're mine now!", he shouted, clambering to his feet and walking five feet away from me.

"I cant.. I can't lose you Bells. I waited so long for you, saw you go through hell. . All because of _him_. How can you expect me to hand you over that easily? How can you expect me to be in the same room as him without wanting to rip his slimy throat out?", he snarled.

"I don't expect you to do anything Jacob…I just want you to love me", I said in a small voice.

He turned around slowly.

"What about..Him?"

"Lets talk about that later shall we?"

He strode towards me and pulled me into a bone-crushing hug, his lips on mine, as we embraced on that crisp morning at La Push beach.


	13. Frankenstein

The summer holidays passed in a rush

The summer holidays passed in a rush.

I was racing against time itself, hiding myself in La Push to avoid running into Edward, who I knew had stayed.

I spent my days at the beach with Jacob, walking on the rocks, or in his garage, drinking warm cans of soda and laughing together. Yet a part of me yearned for Edward: the way his skin sparkled in the weak sunlight, the way he would hold me, as if I were the most special, delicate thing in the world.

Jacob was more upfront, more intense. If I fell and bled, he'd stick on a Band-Aid on. His kisses were hard and urgent, rather than soft and careful.

Days, weeks, months passed, and soon school was looming on the horizon.

Ever since Edward left, I had shunned my small group of friends, preferring to sit alone at a table in my catatonic zombie state. I was frightened and slightly embarrassed about my behavior, and was dreading my 'return'.

I sat in my truck in the parking lot on the first day back, reveling in the dry warmth of the cabin, glaring out at the light drizzle that would inevitably soak my hair and face the second I stepped out. Students were milling around, girls squealing at seeing friends again, boys already slapping each other on the back tripping each other over.

I opened the door to the truck, and a cold gust of wind greeted me. Grimacing, I jumped out and slammed it behind me. Rust particles fell off the door and the deafening BANG it made as it was slammed made several students turn around in shock.

I smirked into my scarf and pulled my hood over my head.

"Bella!", came a voice from somewhere nearby, and I whirled around impatiently, expecting to see mike waving at me and leaping up and down excitement.

Instead, it was Angela who sidled up to me, with her shy smile firmly in place.

"How were your holidays?", she asked timidly.

I thought.

"They were good", I said, returning her smile widely.

"How were yours?"

She told me about her break, who she spent it with, and how her family was.

I found myself actually interested in her news, a new thing for me.

We walked in companionable silence into the first building as the bell rang.

I swore I saw a shiny silver car out of the corner of my eye.

English was first up, and I found myself pondering the most recent book we'd been given, Mary Shelley's _Frankenstein_. My thoughts went out to Dr. Frankenstein's monster. It had never really meant to be a monster, had it? It was just the way it was created. It hurt people, but only because it was so full of rage and misery, guilt over its existence. Above all, it was alone, a state that left it feeling empty and detestable, without anyone who loved it.

Can you really love a monster?, I thought. Ha! Whispered my conscience. Been there, done that. I smiled wistfully, and turned the page.

The bell rang, shaking me out of my reverie. I gathered my books, shoved them in my bag, avoided tripping over my own shoelace and left the classroom.

I met with Angela in the lunch line, and grabbed a bottle of soda before heading to a table with Angela and Mike. As I sat down, everyone stared at me. I forced a smile to my face. A few of them smiled back.

"Oh, Isabella!", came a nasal voice from halfway down the table.

I turned to see Lauren, as cold and self-important as always, eyeing me with an air of cold triumph. I raised an eyebrow.

"Yes?"

She smiled, her sharp, oddly yellow teeth showing between her thin lips.

"Did you hear the Cullen's are back?"

I glanced across the cafeteria, not wanting to believe it.

I though that Edward came back? He didn't say he bought his whole damn family with him!

But there they were, pale and glorious, at their old table. Trays of untouched food in front of them.

I made small talk for the rest of lunch, willing my eyes to stay away from the table were they sat.

But as I got up to go to my next class, a musical voice trilled next to me.

"Bella? Can we speak to you?"

It was Alice, short and thin as ever. Rosalie stood, tall, blonde and haughty beside her.

"Uhh..well, I have to get to class.."

"Calm down Bella, it'll only take a second", said Rosalie, looking characteristically bored.


	14. We never talked in the first place

**Authors note:** This chapter isnt really my best work because this is the part of the story thats the hardest to write. i know exactly what is going to happen, and its gunna be good :). Plus, not many people reviewed last time and if you've ever written a fanfic you know that it motivates you more when people review..so without firther ado, here is chapter fourteen, a short one before the long ones coming up!

* * *

Some ridiculous part of me felt afraid to look them straight in the eye.

Another part of me felt to ashamed.

Alice stared at me, her warm topaz eyes full of sorrow, while Rosalie's eyes seemed to glint with some unseen fury. Or maybe that was just how she always looked?

She sighed as I shrunk under her intense gaze.

"Why are you avoiding us?", said Alice in a small voice, lifting her eyes to mine.

A horrified expression leapt to my face.

"I'm not trying to avoid you Alice-"

"Yet you're avoiding Edward, which means that you're avoiding our entire family", interrupted Rosalie frostily.

Alice kept looking at me with those sad, puppy eyes.

"Look, Bella, we know there was some..mess..between you both. But seriously, that doesn't mean you can never talk to any of us either again?", said Rosalie in a bored tone, fiddling with a stray strand of hair.

"You never talked to me in the first place!", I said angrily.

Alice looked as though she was stifling a laugh, while rose looked slightly embarrassed by the whole ordeal. She cleared her throat.

"It's not that I hate you Bella. I have my reasons for maybe disliking you a minuscule bit but I'm sure that if we both dealt with things in a mature manner things could get back to the way they used to be.."

"the way they used to be? With Edward?"

Alice looked down mournfully at my words.

"He's a mess Bella..He's hiding it but we can all tell that he's completely lost without you", Alice said, grabbing my shoulders and shaking them.

I relaxed at her cold touch, and breathed in her scent.

"Surely you miss me?", she said sadly, pleading.

"Well I certainly don't miss your maniac driving", I joked, smiling weakly.

She grinned, and I remembered how much I had missed having Alice around.

"I'll…I'll talk to him about it", I offered.

Alice eyes glazed over slightly, and I knew she was seeing something I could not.

When she snapped out of it, she smiled and did a little dance on the spot.

She took both my hands and kissed me on the cheek.

"Everything is going to work out just fine", she said, before skipping away with Rosalie in tow.

Wow, I thought. That was weird.

What on earth is going to happen now?


	15. Freedom

I knew that avoiding him was childish

I knew that it couldn't go no like this forever but. .

_I was so happy._

I spent most of my free time with Jake down at La Push, sitting in his garage, or lying down on the beach with his hand in mine, watching the sun skip across the thousands of pebbles that littered the waterline.

With Jacob, everything was so carefree, so liberating, so..._wild._

We didn't have to worry about locking me up for the weekend, just in case, I could be out in the open breathing in the cool, rain-soaked air, rejoicing in the freedom of it all.

Jacob didn't treat me like one those fragile collectible dolls, didn't act like every touch could crush me. In short, he was the complete opposite of Edward.

And I liked it.

Jacob handed me a can of soda as we sat leaning against the corrugated iron wall of the garage. I shivered as I watched the rain poured down outside, and felt a fleeting tingle of fear. Something bad was going to happen, I could feel it. Jacob mistook my dread for coldness and pulled me into his lap, wrapping his strong, warm arms around me.

"What are you thinking?", he whispered huskily into my ear.

I bit my lip.

"Something feels wrong"

"What?"

"No, not with you"

I felt his body relax again

"Oh, thank god"

"I'm sure its nothing", I said, staring out at the blackened sky.

"The weathers clearing up later on tonight", he said,

"Billy's throwing one of his legendary bonfires"

I laughed,

"Were do all you wolves keep popping up from?"

"I don't even know", he laughed,

"But I'm sure Billy will explain it, again"

"I like hearing the wolf legend stories"

"You wouldn't if you'd been hearing them since you were seven", he joked.

"Am I allowed to come?"

"Of course you are, though I thought you'd be over it by now", he said, turning around to face me.

"I enjoy spending time with you and your furry friends", I smiled at him.

He kissed me lightly on the forehead, and all feelings of panic left my mind.


	16. Now you need me, Now you don't

**Authors Note: It sucks when people dont review :(**

* * *

I stared, transfixed at the roaring fire before me.

Orange sparks danced with leaping red and yellow flames, licking the crackling wood and sending a wispy, whimsical thread of silvery gray smoke high into the air.

Glinting, winking stars dotted the sky like a handful of silver beads thrown over a black velvet curtain, as the moon shone, cold and white as polished marble above us.

A group of no more than twenty people sat around the fire, some on strategically shaped rocks, some reaching towards the fire to toast food.

The wolves, in human form, laughed uproariously as they ate, joking and shoving each other. A more sedate group sat at the head of the circle: Billy Black and his prestigious elders.

I snuggled into Jacobs's arms and surveyed the scene before me.

This felt so much like home, like I belonged here. Even though half those in attendance were savage wolves; to me they were my brothers, my friends.

"Is everyone here yet?", I asked Jacob.

His eyes seemed to sparkle even more in the firelight; the orange embers cast a mellow, romantic light over his dreamy, content face.

"Almost, I think Sue and Harry and still on the way"

I nodded in recognition.

"Sam and Emily?", I asked, suddenly realizing that my favorite 'wolf girl' was not seated in her usual spot next to Sam. I frowned. Sam was absent as well.

"I'm not entirely sure, I think they went on a holiday or something", Jacob said absentmindedly, scratching his chin.

"Sue's bringing Leah and Seth tonight, so you'll finally get to meet her"

I saw a shy smile flash across his face, and frowned.

Did I need to be worried about my wolf's blossoming friendship with this Leah?

He caught sight of my narrowed eyes and grinned.

"Don't worry Bells, s'all good"

He flicked a glob of burnt marshmallow in my direction. I ducked and squealed, warding off the gooey mess.

"Jacob Black, don't ever do that again!", I said sternly.

He smiled at me, his warm eyes boring deep into mine.

"I love you Bella Swan", he murmured, kissing me hard on the mouth.

"Sue, Harry! And how nice to see you, Leah and Seth", barked Billy from his wheelchair, motioning them to come closer.

Jacob wrenched himself out of my arms, bounding over to the four figures in the darkness.

A sudden cold seemed to bore into my bones, and I wrapped my arms around myself, squinting into the darkness to see the newcomers.

My attempts were futile.

I sighed, and with a furrowed brow, turned to warm my hands on the blazing fire.

But my veins seemed to fill with ice.

Sue and Harry Clearwater strode over, throwing packets of chips at the laughing boys, before greeting Billy.

A gangly teen sat down across the circle. This, I assumed, was Seth.

Jacob returned to my side, a huge grin across his face.

"Where's Leah?", I asked, wincing at the unintentional frost evident in my voice.

He turned to me, confused by my tone of voice, and a wary look took over his smile.

"She left something in the car…Are you okay Bella?"

I forced a smile to my face

"Sure I am "

"Good", he said, holding another marshmallow over the flames.

I watched the goo bubble and contort, dripping sugary liquid that sizzled in the fire. A black crisp started at the edges and slowly inched towards the center, like a disease taking control of an organ.

"Hi everyone", came an unmistakably female voice from the darkness behind us.

Jacob stood up to embrace the girl still hidden by darkness.

He sat back down and she stepped forward, the light from the fire suddenly throwing her face into horrifying focus: a gasp left my lips as I recognized the tall, beautiful girl from my dream. Or was it my nightmare?

"I'm Leah", the girl said, and my heart sped ito overdrive.

Jacob stared at her, his admiration openly showing, _like a man seeing the sun for the first time..._

My heart ground to a shuddering halt, faltered, then died.


	17. You're a monster

My limbs had failed me.  
My heart sat like a stone in my chest,jutting sharply against my ribcage,stabbing me every time I took a breath.  
My hands shook and my stomach turned to lead.  
Jacob had clambered to his feet to give Leah a 'friendly' hug,and I saw the excitement and admiration glittering in her eyes.  
A small handheld radio next to Billy's feet churned out a mournful piano tune, and suddenly, the dream made sense.  
The grande piano, the embracing couple..the only thing that was missing was.  
Edward.  
My eyes flooded with pent up tears and i stood up, my legs faltering slightly with the effort and i stumbled to were Jacob was standing with his arm around Leah.  
"I'm going to go", I mumbled, rushing away into the darkness.  
I tripped through the forest, searching for the dark path to my truck.  
"Bella"  
Jacob was behind me.  
"What are you doing"  
"I'm going home"  
He looked confused, darting longing glances back at the bonfire.  
"Why"  
I sighed.  
"I'll leave you and Leah alone"  
"Me and Leah?I.I"  
"For god sake Jacob! I'm not an idiot"  
He had the grace to look ashamed.  
"Its just Leah and I..Its like"  
I couldnt beleive the words coming out of his mouth "Like seeing the sun for the first time"  
Something in me exploded.  
This wasnt my Jacob, this wasnt my protecter, my tender, happy-go-lucky wolf.  
How could he do this to me?  
"You're a monster", I whispered, before running into the trees.


End file.
